2010 preview: Great expectations

Favourite things are ending, exciting things are beginning and old things are coming back. 2010 is already shaping up to be a thrilling year and here are the 30 good reasons why we can’t wait

MUSIC

King Creosote turns music piracy on its headDuring the Fence Collective’s annual Homegame gathering in March, KC will perform a series of gigs based around one unreleased album – and he wants the audience to record and share it online. Unfortunately, Homegame sold out in an hour, so try to catch him on the Fence Winter Tour instead.Fence Winter Tour: Edinburgh Caves, Jan 22; Glasgow Captain’s Rest, Jan 23.

FILM

Mariah Carey’s moustache in PreciousThe diva that out-divas them all peels off the make-up and delivers a critically-lauded, furry upper-lipped portrayal of a social worker tasked with helping out Clareece Precious Jones, an overweight single mother in Harlem, a product of abuse, rape and poverty. The film is an adaptation of the novel Push by Sapphire, and is hotly tipped for a glut of Oscars.General release on 29 January.

TELEVISION

Lost gives us answersThe sci-fi island mystery series starts its last-ever season, which means answers. Finally. Possibly. Time to find out whether Lost is the world’s most elaborate shaggy-dog story or, like, you know, this kind of thing really could happen. Sky, February.

EVENT

The Wall of Death, breaching the line between theatre, art and fun fairTrue, the National Theatre of Scotland has the word ‘theatre’ in the title, but the latest wheeze by artistic director Vicky Featherstone is to bring artist Stephen Skrynka together with the Ken Fox Troupe in a show featuring death-defying motorbikes and an art installation. SECC, Glasgow, 4–12 February and on tour.

MUSIC

Checking out if Gene Simmons really can roar like The WolfmanFor those not content to watch Kiss rock the SECC to its very foundations in May, Gene Simmons will also feature in The Wolfman in February, starring Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. Simmons, specially requested by director Joe Johnston, will perform the duties of the Wolfman’s ‘howling voice’. The Wolfman released 12 February; Kiss play Glasgow SECC, 9 May.

DANCE

A change for the better from Rambert Dance CompanyRambert has a plentiful supply of entertaining pieces going under the umbrella title of Comedy of Change, but the smart money is on ‘A Linha Curva’ by Israeli choreographer Itzik Galili, one of the most joyful pieces you will see all year. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 11–13 February; Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 17–19 February.

MUSIC

Sharing a two-night stand with Hot ChipFollowing the hit 2008 album Made in the Dark, Hot Chip are back and ready for the floor with their fourth release, One Life Stand. Listen to it (over and over, if you must), then catch them at the start of their world tour as it kicks off in Glasgow. O2 Academy, Glasgow, 12 Feb and HMV Picture House, Edinburgh, 13 Feb.

FILM

Cary Grant in the Glasgow Film FestivalThe man voted second greatest male film star by the American Film Institute appeared in too many fantastic movies to count. Thanks to the Glasgow Film Festival, we can savour a hand-picked selection of the very best on the big screen. Glasgow, 18–28 February.

BOOKS

Louise Welsh gives us the creepsAfter lapping up The Cutting Room, Tamburlaine Must Die and The Bullet Trick, we’re gearing ourselves up for Naming the Bones, a haunting novel about a literary researcher on the trail of a long dead writer. Canongate, 4 March.

FILM

Gauging the madness of Johnny Depp’s Mad HatterOn the basis that Lewis Carroll was one of literature’s great surrealists and Tim Burton is one of cinema’s most fanciful mavericks, we can reasonably assume that Alice in Wonderland – with Matt Lucas as both Tweedledum and Tweedledee – will put a grin on your face wider than that of Stephen Fry’s Cheshire Cat. 5 March.

COMEDY

Courting controversy in the Glasgow Comedy FestivalWith a line-up that includes Frankie Boyle, rapped for a gag about Rebecca Adlington, and Jimmy Carr, hauled up for a wisecrack about disabled soldiers, the annual laughter fest is bound to have someone saying something that ruffles delicate tabloid feathers. Or maybe Chris Addison will treat us to some Thick of It-style swearing. We can’t wait. Glasgow, 11–28 March.

FILM

Wondering whether Matt Damon should have appeared at Sir John Chilcot’s inquiryIn Green Zone, the Bourne star plays a US army officer in Iraq who goes in search of weapons of mass destruction after receiving dodgy intelligence. The very idea is preposterous, of course. 12 March.

FESTIVAL

Wishing the National Review of Live Art a happy 30th birthdayThe annual celebration of the weird and wonderful in performance art is bringing back many of the major names who have appeared over three decades, including Alastair MacLennan, Forced Entertainment, Ian Smith, Neil Bartlett and Ron Athey. Arches, CCA and Tramway, 17–21 March.

THEATRE

Figuring out how a boy can fly in Peter PanFor his staging of the JM Barrie classic, National Theatre of Scotland director John Tiffany is working with aerial specialist Vicki Amedume of London’s Upswing and magic man Jamie Harrison of Scotland’s Vox Motus to give an other-worldly lift to the JM Barrie classic. King’s Theatre, Glasgow, 23 March–8 May and on tour.

BOOKS

Trading opinions with the Booker Prize-winning James KelmanThe celebrated author of Not Not While the Giro and The Busconductor Hines will be promoting If It Is Your Life, a collection of essays about identity as it is expressed through language, class, politics, gender and age. Hamish Hamilton, 1 April.

FILM

Putting Coatbridge on the map with Kick-AssLanarkshire lad and comic-book supremo, Mark Millar is venturing into the movie big league as his Kick-Ass comic, about a boy who decides to become a super hero, hits the big screen with Nicolas Cage in the cast. 2 April.

OPERA

Savouring an unlikely plot with Scottish OperaIn The Adventures of Mr Broucek the less-than-sober hero journeys to the moon and then back to 15th century Prague, taking in bagpipes, organ music and patriotic hymns as he goes. Scottish Opera clubs together with Opera North for this rare staging of the Janácek curiosity. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 8 & 10 April and on tour.

ART

Supporting the home team at Glasgow InternationalThe next instalment of the biennial festival of visual art has an ‘Open Glasgow’ theme, putting the focus on home-grown artists of all levels of fame. And there are a lot. So fly that flag with pride. Glasgow, 16 April–3 May.

THEATRE

Connecting Chekhov and a Paisley carpet factory in The Cherry OrchardJohn Byrne, author of The Slab Boys (the comedy set in a carpet factory) and Tutti Frutti, is back after turning Uncle Vanya into an abrasive Uncle Varick in 2004. This time he’ll be translating Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard with his customary pizzazz. Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, 16 April–8 May.

MUSIC

Arcade Fire release new albumThe title is yet to be revealed, the tour dates are yet to be confirmed and the most specific release date we can get is ‘May’ – yet this follow-up to 2007’s Neon Bible could well be our most hotly anticipated release of the year. May.

DANCE

Feeing the pulse of Brazilian dance with Companhia de Danca Deborah ColkerWe’re in for a treat as the Rio de Janeiro company returns to Scotland with Cruel, a fabulous spectacle that blends technology with a series of stories of everyday cruelty and love. Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 21–22 May; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 22–23 June.

MUSIC

Watching Pink get the party started at Hampden ParkThe Missundaztood wild girl also known as Alecia Beth Moore (although not very often) brings her peroxide pop-rock stylings to Glasgow. Expect a carnival atmosphere, circus-style theatricals and some extremely raunchy costumery, along with some bonafide tomboy anthems. Hampden Park National Stadium, 26 June.

MUSIC

Processing beats with Kasabian at T in the ParkSerge, Tom and the boys extend their empire in Scotland with their first headlining slot at the daddy of all music festivals. Rumours abound that a certain Mr N Gallacher may join them, as he’s not got much else to do at the moment. Balado, Kinross-shire, 9–11 July.

ART

Savouring the great surrealists up close in Another WorldMiró, Miró on the wall, who’s the surrealest of them all? Your chance to judge, as the Dean Gallery airs its collection – one of the largest in the world – of Dalí, Magritte and Miró masterpieces, with works of leftfield genius by Picasso and Giacometti thrown in for good measure. Dean Gallery, Edinburgh, 10 July–9 January.

FESTIVAL

Discovering the New World with the EIFJonathan Mills, the ever-curious director of the Edinburgh International Festival, likes to package his programme with a theme. This time he is rediscovering the New World, as Europe did 300 years ago, bringing music, dance and theatre from North, South and Central America, the Pacific Rim and Australia – much of it new territory for the often Eurocentric event.13 Aug-5 Sep.

CLASSICAL

Virginia Woolf being set to music in OrlandoGlasgow’s Cryptic, a specialist in music that ‘ravishes the senses’, is to stage a score by Craig Armstrong, whose output ranges from Madonna to Moulin Rouge, inspired by Woolf’s Orlando. The production will be enhanced by a visual projection technology they call the ‘living canvas’.Glasgow and Edinburgh, October.

FESTIVAL

Watching the creative sparks fly in Glasgay!The increasingly popular festival is turning into an artistic match-maker, pairing off writers and asking them to reflect on relationships. Among the couples under commission are novelists Louise Welsh and Zoe Strachan who are writing a play about two women at large in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Expect creative sparks to fly.Glasgow, 7 October–7 November.

FILM

Climbing back on the Light Cycle and rebooting for Tron: Legacy!Jeff Bridges is back in this much-hyped sequel to Disney’s 1982 CG extravaganza. This time round he’s joined by respectable movie veteran John Hurt and Frost/Nixon’s Michael Sheen, with Olivia Wilde and Garrett Hedlund supplying the new blood. General release on 17 Dec.

Wall of Death: A Way of Life

The tale of the boy who never grew up is given a Scottish flavour, in keeping with the nationality of its creator, JM Barrie, who was born 150 years ago. With flying children, thrilling sword fights, fire-eaters, acrobatics, dastardly pirates and the ominous ticking of the crocodile, this production promises excitement…

Dissolute and disillusioned, Janácek's comic hero relocates to the moon for a better life. When the lunar avant-garde prove to be too much he travels instead back to 15th century Prague, where he is sentenced to death in a beer barrel. The surreality is underlined by Janácek's colourfully original score. Co-produced with…

If the thought of sitting through a full-length opera fills you with trepidation, or if you're a seasoned opera-goer with an interest in what happens backstage, this hour-long taster is a perfect introduction to the workings behind the scenes and an introduction to the principal characters and plot.

Visual artist Stephen Skrynka joins the world-famous Ken Fox Troupe to learn to ride the motorcycle Wall of Death. The show comprises live action from the motorcycle team and the unveiling of Skrynka's installation looking at his emotional response to the act.

From relatively humble beginnings, T in the Park has become the acknowledged behemoth of the Scottish festival scene and one of the UK's largest events. In 2015 the festival moved from its longstanding Balado location to the new grounds of Strathallan Castle in Perthshire.
Bands appearing in 2016 include The Stone…